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Origin of Life Laboratory

Origins Institute members have pioneered technology that could provide experimental evidence of how life was formed on Earth.   

The Origin of Life Laboratory features a Planetary Simulator that is the first of its kind in the world. The climate chamber allows researchers to mimic environmental conditions present on early Earth and explore how the building blocks of life were assembled and transitioned into the first genetic material found in all living entities. 

By understanding how life formed on Earth, researchers can use the simulator to replicate conditions on other planets to understand how life could form elsewhere in the universe. 

The Origin of Life Laboratory was created through a Canada Foundation for Innovation grant with support from McMaster’s Faculty of Science, Faculty of Health Sciences and Office of Research. McMaster researchers collaborated with Angstrom Engineering to design and construct the Planetary Simulator.